Reading To Awaken
As a kid, my Mom used to take us on trips to the library and let us pick out books. I loved those trips to the library, but I hated reading for school. I have always had a deep hatred for authority and the task of having to read killed the joy in it for me. Once reading for school became required, reading by choice became a rare occurence. Even once I was done with school, my love of reading never really came back to life.
That started to change about 8 years ago when I picked up The 4-Hour Workweek. That was the book that started my obsession with quitting my job, and it lead me to more books about entrepreneurship and becoming a digital nomad. Since then, books and knowledge have become a source of comfort for me. Especially once I started learning about psychology. Now, I read all the time, and my reading list grows faster than I can keep up.
Counselors call this bibliotherapy. The use of reading materials as therapeutic adjuvants. My books have become my prescriptions.
Every book I read becomes a data point on an ever-expanding web. The more I read, the less I know. Like the universe, it expands in proportion to my exploration of it. I look for the intersections between the mind and the heart and the spirit. Where ancient wisdom meets modern psychology. A sacred and elusive quintessence.
Books are immortal, they live beyond us. Like trees that can’t be cut down. They are cheat codes being passed through time. They are proof of everything gone unsaid. They speak our secret yearnings into existence and out of doubt. Feelings that we were missing the words for. They are validation that the denied is real.
I am the average of the books I have read. Sometimes I learn from the living, sometimes I learn from the dead.
Many of the books that have helped me find my way are listed below. If you make a purchase through any of the links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
List Updated 1/29/2024
For my complete and never-ending reading list, follow me on Goodreads.
Counselors call this bibliotherapy. The use of reading materials as therapeutic adjuvants. My books have become my prescriptions.
Nature Books
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Mason and Susan McCarthy
Business & Marketing Books
Firelfy Magic by Lauren Sapala
The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
INFJ Books
The INFJ Writer by Lauren Sapala
The INFJ Revolution by Lauren Sapala
Travel & Adventure Books
Fiction Books
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
The Divine Arsonist by Jacob Nordby
Spirituality Books
The Spirit of Intimacy by Sobonfu Some
Beqoming by Azrya and Benjamin Bequer
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton
Power vs Force by David Hawkins
Sacred Contracts by Carolyn Myss
Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza
The Michael Handbook by Jose Stevens and Simon Warwick-Smith
Transforming Your Dragons by Jose Stevens
Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home by Toko-pa Turner
Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead by Tosha Silver
Philosophy Books
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
Relationship Books
Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray
Living and Loving after Betrayal by Steven Stosny
Love Me, Don’t Leave Me by Michelle Skeen
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman
Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan
Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft
The Surrendered Single by Laura Doyle
The Human Magnet Syndrome by Ross Rosenberg
You Are The One You’re Been Waiting For by Richard Schwartz
How to Be the Love You Seek by Dr. Nicole LePera
Psychology Books
Discovering the Inner Mother by Bethany Webster
No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz
Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott
Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
How To Do The Work by Nicole LePera
Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
First Person Plural by Cameron West
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson
Personal Boundaries for Highly Sensitive People by Grace Kerina
The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman
Gifts Differing by Isabel Briggs Myers and Peter B. Myers
Money Books
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The Millionaire Code by Paul B. Farrell
Lifestyle Books
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Creativity Books
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Creative Cure by Jacob Nordby
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Blessed are the Weird by Jacob Nordby
Writing on the Intuitive Side of the Brain by Lauren Sapala
Shamanism Books
The Bowl of Light by Hank Wesselman
Secrets of Shamanism by Jose Stevens
